Reversible doorcheck



Patented Mar. 27, 1923. .v

UNITED STATS BENEDETTO CAPRA, OF SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

REVERSIBLE DOOBCHECK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. BENEDETTO OAPRA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sacramento, county of Sacramento, State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Doorchecks;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the characters of ref erence marked thereon, which forma part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in door checks such as are usedto automatically cause the closing of a door while checking the closingmovement and preventing the slamming thereof, the principal object of myinvention beingto provide a device of this character which isreversible, and by making a simple adjustment may be used either for adoor which opens in a right hand direction, or for one opening in theopposite direction.

I have also provided a simple means for controlling the speed of theclosing movement of the door to which the device is attached.

A further object of the invention is toproduce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposesfor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device, as installed in connection witha door and frame.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detached top plan view of the casing and parts therein, withthe cover removed.

, Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the numeral 1 denotes a casing, preferably cylindrical andpermanently closed on the bot tom, and provided with ears or lugs 2 onthe outside whereby it may be secured by bolts or screws 2 to a doorframe 3.

The axis of this casing is vertical, and extending axially thereof fromtop to bottom is a shaft 4, on which is fixed a vane-- Application filedJune 5, 1922. Serial No. 565,837.

5 making a snug fit with the bottom and;

sides of the casing, as well as with the inner surface of a removablecover member 6 on the casing, and through which the shaft 4 projects,and in which it is journaled.

On the upper end of the shaft is fixedone end of an adjustable andhorizontal toggle-joint mechanism 7, the opposite end of which ispivoted onto a bracket 8 which is adapted to be secured to a door 9 asuitable distance from its hinged edge 10.

Either formed with, or filled in the casing 1, and extending from top tobottom and from the shaft to the adjacent casing wall is a division wall11, preferably disposed radially with respect to the axis of,

the casing and at right angles to the plane of the lugs 2 and frame 3.This wall makes close contact with the different parts along allitsedges.

Formed in the cover 6 and leading from the casing on opposite sides ofthe wall .11 are passages 12 and 13, extending to a chamber 14 common toboth, said chamber being normally closed on top by a removable plug 15.v

A transverse partition 16 below the chamber divides the passages, whileseats 17 for a ball valve 18 are formed in the passageways on oppositesides of the partition at the junction of said passagewayswith thechamber 14:.

A by pass 19 extends through the partition 16 from one passage to theother, the opening through the by pass being regulated by an adjustableneedle valve 20 or similar device.

A spring 21 about the sh-aft acts, when the ball valve is positioned asshown, to hold the vane 5 opposite tothe entrance of the passageway 12into the casing, and the:-

door 9 closed. 7

It is. to be understood that the limit of movement or sweep of the vaneis such that thepassage inlets to the casing are always separated bysaid vane.

It is also to be noted that the plug 15 to be opened, the movement ofthe vane will cause the oil to be forced from the casing ahead of thevane into the passage 13, and thence back to the casing behind the vane.These passages are made as large as possible, so as to offer but littleobstruction to the fiow of the oil, and so allows the door to be quicklyopened.

When the pressure on the door causing the same to be opened is removed,the spring 21 acts on the toggle arms 7 to close the door, at the sametime imparting a turning movement to the shaft at the reverse of thathad when the door was opened, and so moving the vane in the oppositedirection to that previously had. The oil then will tend to be forcedthrough the passage 13 and into the passage 12, but the ball 18 in thelatter is now seated and prevents the fiow of oil therepast. The onlyoutlet for the oil is therefore through the by pass 19, which beingrelatively small, will allow only a slow movement of the vane and shaft,which controls the closing of the door, so that the lat ter will shutwithout a slam.

The extent of duration of this slow move ment is governed by thequantity of the oil in the casing, since if the latter is only abouthalf full, the initial closing of the door may take place quickly, owingto the action of the spring 21, before the oil is confined by the vanesufficiently for it to exert a cushioning action against further freemovement of the vane.

If the device is to be placed in connection with a door opening in theopposite direction from that shown, the plug 15 is removed, and the ballshifted from one seat to the other, thus changing the direction in whichthe oil may flow freely from one passage to the other.

The spring 21 must also of course be replaced by one acting in theopposite direction, but otherwise no changes are necessary to adapt thedevice to a door opening as stated.

From the foregoing description it will. be readily seen, that I haveproduced such a device as substantially. fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

l/Vhile this specification sets, forth in detail the present andpreferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviationsfrom such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from thespirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnable therein,a closure between one edge of the shaft and the adjacent face of thecasing, a vane on the shaft movable in the casing and having a workingfit therein, passageways leading from the casing on opposite sides ofthe closure and communicating with a common chamher outside the casing,valve seats in said chamber above the passages, and a valve memberinterchangeable at will normally seating on one of said seats.

2. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnable therein,a closure between one edge of the shaft and the adjacent face of thecasing a vane on the shaft movable in the casing and having a workingfit therein, passageways leading from the casing on opposite sides ofthe closure and communicating with each other outside the casing, acheck valve interposed in the passageways and means whereby the settingof said valve may be altered at will to cause it to open with av flowthrough said passageways in a direction the opposite of that had withthe first named position of the valve.

8. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnable therein,a closure. between one edge of the shaft and the adjacent face of thecasing, a vane on the shaft movable in the casing and having a workingfit therein, passageways leading from the casing on opposite sides ofthe closure and communicating with a common chamber outside the casing,valve seats in said chamber above the passages and means whereby afreeflow through the passages in either direction may be permitted while. aflow in the corresponding opposite direc tion is prevented.

4:. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnabletherein, a closure between one edge of the shaft and the adjacent faceof the casing, a vane on the shaft movable in the casing, passagewaysleading from the casing on opposite sides of the closure andcommunicating with each other outside the casing, a check valveinterposed in the passageways, and a relatively small passage betweenthe first named passageways and by passing around the check valve.

5. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnable therein,a closure between one edge of the shaft and the adj acent face of thecasing, a vane on the shaft movable in the casing passageways leadingfrom the casing on opposite sides of, the closure and communicating witheach other outside the casing, a check valve interposed in thepassageways, and a relatively small passage between the first namedpassageways and by passing around the checkval've, and an adjustablemember for regulating the size of said by pass.

6. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnable therein,a closure between one edge of theshaft and the adjacent face of thecasing, a vane on the shaft. movable in the casing and havinga workingfit therein, passageways leading from the casing on opposite sides ofthe closure and communicating with a common chamber outside the casing,valve seats in said chamber above passages, a valve member normallyoccupying one of said seats, and means whereby said valve may be shiftedto the other seat at will.

7. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnable therein,a closure between one edge of the shaft and the adjacent face of thecasing, a vane on the shaft movable in the casing and having a workingfit therein, passageways leading from the casing on opposite sides ofthe closure and communicating with a common chamber outside the casing,valve seats in said chamber above the passages, a valve member normallyoccupying one of said seats, and a removable plug for said chamber abovethe valve, said plug allowing the valve to raise sufficiently to freelyclearits seat but insufficient to allow it to shift over onto 1 theother seat.

8. A door check comprising an enclosed casing, a shaft turnable therein,a closure between one edge of the shaft and the adjacent face of thecasing, a vane on the shaft movable in the casing and having aworking-fit therein, passageways leading from the casing on oppositesides of the closure and communicating with a common cham- 1 her outsidethe casing, valve seats in said chamber above the passages, horizontaland spaced valve seats in the chamber at the adjacent ends ofthepassageways, a ball occupying one of said seats, and a removable plugfor the chamber providing. access thereto and acting when in position toprevent shifting of the ball from one sheet to the other. i

In testimony whereof I afiix my si nature.

BENEDETTO o rRA.

